Your Health after Fire
Looking after yourself and others
During an emergency people tend to exist in a survival state to get through the incident, using up considerable emotional reserves. They likely have a targeted focus and work hard for long periods, putting aside essential needs including food, water and sleep. It’s also important to recognise that after the high a low often follows.
Symptoms of stress
- Difficulty thinking clearly, concentrating and remembering details.
- Not speaking clearly, slurring words and forgetting names.
- Bodily tension, stress and tightness in muscles.
- Headaches, trembling, nausea, aches and pains.
- Tired but unable to sleep.
- Lack of appetite and a desire for stimulants such as alcohol, tobacco, or coffee.
- Feeling overwhelmed and emotional, experiencing waves of anger, or unnecessary worry.
- Feeling irritable, restless and unable to relax or keep still.
- Cannot feel happy, enjoyment or affection for loved ones.
- Feeling moody, gloomy, sad or hopeless.
- Blaming others and reacting out of proportion to the situation.
- Changed relationships, avoiding contact or, alternatively, always wanting others around.
Looking after yourself
- Take regular short breaks.
- Stop when you have had enough.
- If it has been a tough day, try to discuss issues and solutions before heading home.
- Take care to avoid accidents.
- Spend some time doing things you enjoy when off duty.
- Get plenty of rest and sleep.
- Eat well and regularly.
Helping others
Letting people talk is one of the best ways to help them reduce their distress.
Things you can do to help people talk things out are:
- Look directly at the person speaking to you.
- Avoid interrupting.
- Ask questions occasionally to make sure you understand what they mean.
- Let the person speak freely and don’t judge or give opinions.
- Don’t tell people how they should think or feel.
- Make sure you understand why a question is being asked.
Unhelpful ways of relating to affected people
- Telling them not to worry, that it could have been worse, that others are worse off or that they are the lucky ones.
- Not listening to them.
- Reassuring them everything is all right when it is not.
- Unnecessarily separating them from family or familiar surroundings.
- Getting sentimental or excited with them.
- Not giving them privacy or independence when they need it.
Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS) contacts during office hours:
- Barwon-South Western 5226 4540
- Gippsland 5177 2500
- Grampians 5333 6669
- Hume 5722 0555
- Loddon-Mallee 5434 5555
Lifeline: For 24-hour telephone counselling throughout Victoria 13 11 14
Offers of help
The generosity of individuals and groups donating time, support or fodder in the aftermath of large fires can often be overwhelming. You may be reluctant to take advantage of recovery services and offers of help as this is sometimes perceived as a sign of weakness. You may think others are worse off and in greater need of assistance.
However, you have lost something during an incident and the Victorian Government, other groups and individuals recognise this and want to support your recovery. Contact your local DPI office or call 136186 to have your farm assessed. Alternatively, the Municipal Recovery Centre, run by your local Shire Council, would also be aware of available loans and grants.
Steps to financial recovery
It is often difficult after an event like a bushfire to take time to focus on the financial plan for your business. Taking time to formulate a plan will in the long run aid faster business recovery. The following are the first steps you can take in formulating your plan.
Step 1: Where are you now?
Assess your current financial position and write down a statement of all your assets and liabilities.
Assets include:
- land: Write down each parcel of land, who owns it and what the current market value is likely to be
- stock: List each class of stock and their likely current market value
- produce on hand: List all produce currently on hand including hay, grain and unsold wool at their likely value
- plant and machinery: List all plant and machinery you own and its current market value (hint: what would you pay for it at a clearing sale?)
- vehicles: List each vehicle and its likely current market value
- list the value of your bank accounts, investments and shares (accounts that are in credit)
- list the current value of any superannuation funds and the surrender value of life insurance
- list a description and value of other real estate and valuable possessions (for example jewellery or antique furniture).
Total value of all assets = ………………….
Liabilities include:
- current balance of your overdraft (if in debit)
- term loans (and what they are secured against)
- hire purchases or machinery loans
- other loans (for example family loans)
- credit cards (if in debit)
- unsecured creditors (all outstanding accounts)
Total value of all liabilities = ………………
Net value of your assets = assets less liabilities
It can be useful to do this exercise at 30 June each year to see how your position is changing over time.
Step 2: Where are you likely to be in the next 12 months?
Assess your likely future financial position and write down an annual cash flow budget for the next 12 months.
Farm Income: List the likely sources of income (if no changes are made) from each of your enterprises over the next 12 months. For example, categories may include wool, lambs, cull sheep, cattle, grain (wheat, barley, oats and canola) and diesel rebate.
Farm Expenses: Split into enterprise, and overhead costs. Enterprise costs include costs associated with each enterprise, such as animal health, shearing, contract services, fodder and freight. Overhead costs include costs that are always there regardless of the type of enterprise you are running, such as rates, insurance, accountant, administration, fuel, electricity and telephone.
Subtract the expenses from the income. This is your farm operating profit or loss. From this you then deduct (or add on) the interest and principal repayments from your profit (or loss). Then list and add on any other off farm income, such as wages, Centrelink and non-farm investment income.
Estimate your personal expenditure for the year and your personal tax liability and deduct from the figure. This will then give you your net cash flow for the year. At this point a more detailed month by month cash flow budget could be useful to track the balance of your operating account to make sure you will not exceed the overdraft limit. If your cash flow is a positive amount you have the discretion to decide to spend or save the excess. If it is a negative amount you must answer the questions ‘will you need to borrow more money (is your overdraft adequate) or will you need to make other changes to your farming or personal circumstances?’
Step 3: Where do you want to be?
These steps give you the basic information to start working out a plan for your business recovery. This will include determining your personal and farming priorities and goals and looking at options to meet your needs. Rural financial counsellors can assist farmers to acquire the necessary basic financial information and then work out a plan for the future.
This may include seeking further assistance from other professionals including consultants, agronomists, accountants and solicitors. In any plan for the future it is also never too early to consider a succession plan for your farm.
Rural financial counselling is a free service to farmers and small rural businesses. Rural financial counsellors usually visit on farm and provide a confidential, free and independent service.
For information on your local financial counsellor or for an appointment call 1800 686 175 or go to the website www.rfcs.gov.au
Insurance Claims
Notify your insurer as soon as you can after an incident. It is important your insurer is made aware of your decisions regarding the destruction of burnt livestock, any major repairs or any major cleanup of assets. It is recommended you take photographs of damaged assets and stock in order to support any insurance claims.
It is important, but often difficult under stress, to remember all of your lost assets (checklist available in “Part 3 – Prepare for next season”). However, most insurance companies understand this and are flexible enough to allow you to reopen and amend your claim case.
If you receive a payout but are unable to spend it on recovery work before the end of the financial year, it will be treated as income and taxed accordingly. Therefore, it is advisable to talk to your accountant about Farm Management Deposits (FMDs) or other solutions.
